Discovery
by Silvershadowfire
Summary: New story that takes place after Ancient Egypt Arc. First fanfic, pls R&R! COMPLETE Mouth of Yomi is sequel
1. A stranger in feathers

This takes place after the Ancient Egypt arc and before the final chapters of the manga. If you haven't read or at least heard how it ends, then consider this a **SPOILER WARNING**

DISCLAIMER: YuGiOh and all the characters aren't mine. 

:We've won.: Pharaoh Atem sighed as he floated in the back of Motou Yugi's mind.

"And we're back together." Yugi laughed. "I missed you, Mou Hito…Atem-kun." His laugh turned sheepish. "Sorry, I'm not used to your name yet." 

:To be perfectly honest, neither am I.: Atem admitted. 

They walked down the streets of Domino City, just enjoying the day and being together. The sunlight glowed through the green leaves and wind blew gently. It was certainly a beautiful spring day. 

So they had no warning as the shadows opened, disgorging a figure in a bright feather robe and sandals. Without a word he made a throwing gesture and rainbow light, fractured like a shattered crystal, flew at Yugi.

:Aibou!: With a jerk, Aten took control as the light hit. He screamed as the rainbow fragments burrowed through his flesh and into his soul. Darkness took him into nightmare. 

*******************************************

Yugi cried out as Atem took over; he was thrown into his soul-room with enough force to stun him. The door slammed shut with a heavy thump.

Slowly the teenager got to his feet, kicking his way through the toys that littered the room. Though simple wood, the door looked stubborn. He touched the handle, turned it; nothing happened. Somehow it had been locked - from the outside.

With an effort, Yugi forced the door handle to turn, and the door, which seemed as heavy as Atem's metal one, to open.


	2. Nightmare and illusion

Okay, here's the second part. Sorry the first part was so short. This is probably going to be four or five chapters. Comments are  
  
appreciated! (Heck, I just like to know people are reading it!)   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or any of the characters (Though I'd like to rent Bakura-chan for a few days!)  
  
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Chaper 2 - Nightmare and Illusion  
  
Motou Yugi stared at the wall of his yami's soul room, shocked. Multi-coloured things like worms writhed and sqirmed over the stone. In the hallway lay Atem's unmoving spirit form, covered with the same rainbow things. Yugi walked slowly out of his room and knelt beside the Pharoah, gathering up the limp form in his arms. Atem's eyes were wide and staring, blank purple irises shading to crimson; his face was twisted in a ricus of terror and loathing.   
  
********************************************************************  
  
Atem woke to find himself chained in a black room, his hands over his head. His legs from the waist down were sumberged in icy-cold liquid. He tried to look around; all he saw was a group of devices in the light of two wall torches some twenty feet away. He tried to move his hands, but the chain held fast and he was numb from the waist down thanks to the liquid.   
  
  
  
An unseen door opened and a procession of people entered, all dressed in black robes embroidered with gold entwined serpents. Atem gasped - he recognized the symbol of Set, the ancient Egyptian god of darkness and snakes.   
  
  
  
The figures carried more people inside; Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda and Bakura. They all appeared to be semi-conscious; Jounouchi and Honda had bruises that spoke of struggle. One by one his friends were strapped to the devices, none of which looked healthy.   
  
  
  
Atem closed his eyes for a moment and looked within for his aibou. There was no sense of him - hopefully Yugi was still locked in his soul room. He opened his eyes and saw that all the robed figures except one had left.   
  
The last was quite a bit smaller than the rest, and when he threw back his hood Atem gasped in shock as Yugi's distinctive hair appeared. Yugi turned to glance over his shoulder at his yami. His wide violet eyes were cold and a cruel smile played on his lips. He was dressed in a sort of mockery of Atem's own pharonic regalia, but instead of the Sennen Eye his crown was surmounted with the twin serpents of Set. He no longer wore the Millennium Puzzle, but an amulet bearing the Sun Disk of Ra on a serpent-ended boat.   
  
  
  
Without speaking he turned away, facing Anzu, who had been strapped to a wooden table. Gently he stroked her cheek until she came fully awake.   
  
  
  
"Y-yugi?" she stammered. "What happened? Where are we?"  
  
  
  
"It's okay, Anzu." he whispered in her ear; his voice was mocking. "Everything is fine."  
  
  
  
Then with his free hand he brought up a dagger, placed it over her chest and cut downward.   
  
  
  
Anzu screamed and blood spurted - the dagger came up red, but it sounded from her sobbing as though she still lived. Atem found himself pulling at his chains until blood oozed from his wrists, screaming "Aibou! No! What are you doing?"  
  
  
  
Yugi glanced over his shoulder again, licked a bit of blood from the knife, and smiled.   
  
  
  
"Don't worry, Pharoah." he said, voice cold and cruel as his smile had become. "Your turn will come soon enough." Then he turned back to Anzu. Atem watched in horror as his gentle, compassionate aibou tortured the helpless girl to death.  
  
****************************  
  
Yugi woke in the outer world to find himself bound and gagged in a stone room. He looked around, and found nothing more than the pile of straw he was lying on, a barred wooden door and a feeble oil light to illuminate the cell. Then a lightness at his chest made him look down - the Puzzle was gone! Yugi moaned and tried to get his hands free. He couldn't just leave Atem spellbound and helpless within the Puzzle! But first he had to get free.  
  
  
  
One nice thing about being so small - he was agile. It took a great deal of wriggling, but he managed to get his bound hands around to his front and use them to pull off the gag. Then he used his teeth to untie his hands.   
  
  
  
Once free, Yugi stood and approached the cell door. It was barred, but unlike the Soul Room door he couldn't budge this one. However, he was close enough to hear the footsteps that approache on the far side. He stepped back as the bolt was thrown back and two large men stepped inside.  
  
  
  
"Don't struggle, kid." one of them said, closing the door behind them. "We don't want you bruised for the ceremony."  
  
  
  
"What ceremony?" Yugi demanded. He didn't bother asking about the Puzzle - by now he figured that asking nicely wasn't going to get it back for him. And struggling would be pointless. He stood dociley as the men, ignoring his question, wordlessly stripped his naked and washed him with a bucket of icy-cold water. Yugi blushed furiously as he shivered naked in front of them, but they didn't seem to notice as they roughly toweled him dry.   
  
  
  
The man who had not spoken pulled out a bag from under his robes. Yugi blinked in surprise as they threw it at him.   
  
  
  
"Dress in that, and hurry up." the first man ordered, and they left.   
  
  
  
************************************  
  
Atem drooped lifelessly in his chains, despair and rage warring in him. He had watched Yugi systematically torture and kill all his friends; even Bakura had been helpless to stop it. He'd half-wanted Yugi to kill him next, just to escape the pain of betrayal, but no.   
  
  
  
No. This had to be a dream, an illusion. Yugi would never, even do that. Would never deliberately cause another pain, nor laugh in a soft, creul voice at their pleas for mercy. This had to be a nightmare...  
  
  
  
Unnoticed, Yugi had entered the room again. Atem gave him a glare and Yugi laughed.   
  
  
  
"I did promise, didn't I Pharaoh? It's your turn now."  
  
  
  
"This isn't real..." Atem murmured.  
  
  
  
With a cold laugh, Yugi touched the amulet at his chest and the water began to rise, over Atem's chest, then shoulders. "Then I guess you die ignorant. And when you die, my yami, I gain your power. I will be the only King of Games, and you will be nothing more than a memory."  
  
The cold of the liquid seemed to have invaded his heart, numbing it. He felt the despair and the anger fuse into a new emotion, one he'd not felt in too long. Cold anger that chilled his mind as the water chilled his body. All the pain, the betrayal, turned to hate.  
  
  
  
"I will destroy you!" Atem shouted as the water closed over his head.  
  
***********************************   
  
Two minutes after they had left, the two men re-entered the cell. Yugi had managed to get on the white robe and figured out the sandals; the jewelry had proved more of a problem, but he'd gotten everything but the elaborate winged crown on. That he held limply in one hand. They had given his the clothes of an Egyptian pharaoh - he recognized them now. But he refused to put on the mockery of a crown, with it's twined snakes.  
  
  
  
"Come on, boy." The first man grabbed the crown and arranged the heavy gold on his head. Then they shackled him and all but dragged him from the cell.  
  
  
  
A few confusing moments later he was in a much larger stone room, this one dimly lit. He must have been out of it for awhile, because the moon shone through a skylight. He was dragged to a stone pillar and chain to it; the guards roughly forced him to kneel.  
  
  
  
A man dressed as a priest from Ancient Egypt walked over to Yugi. He had the characteristic dark skin of the Arabic peoples - his eyes were dark and cold. He reminded Yugi somewhat of Shadi, but it plainly was not him.  
  
  
  
"Greetings, Yugi-chan." the man said. "I see you made it in time. I am glad you could join us."   
  
  
  
Like I had a choice. Yugi thought to himself. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Where's my Puzzle? Why..."  
  
  
  
The man cut Yugi off with a raised hand. "I direct your attention to the centre of the chamber, Yugi-chan. Gaze hither and all your questions will be answered.  
  
  
  
In the indicated area, Yugi saw a heavy stone slab - on it was a carved and gilded sarcophogus. Suspended over it was the Millennium Puzzle and around it were four jars carved with the heads of gods.  
  
  
  
"The sarcophogus contains the mummified remains of your friend, the Nameless Pharaoh. The canopic jars there contain his organs, the Puzzle his spirit. We intend to bring him back to life, and to use his power to rule this planet."  
  
  
  
"He'll never co-operate!" Yugi exclaimed. "He would never..."  
  
  
  
"Yes he will, Yugi-chan. Because when he wakes, the first thing he will do it destroy you. And without his hikari to balance his darkness, he will drown the world in shadows. 


	3. Pharaoh Reborn

Okay, here we go. Next chapter in the saga J 

Please R&R! You can even flame me if you want; I've got asbestos undies.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yugioh or any of the related characters.

Note - :blah: is mindspeaking and {blah} is Ancient Egyptian. 

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Chapter 3 - Pharaoh Reborn.

"Atem-kun would never do that." Yugi protested in a shocked voice. "He's mou hitori no boku, my other self. He would never…kill me."

The robed man looked down at Yugi with a condescending smile. "Have you ever heard the saying 'Love and hate are two sides of the same coin'? Love is the easiest emotion to turn into hate, Yugi-chan. It just needs the right…incentive." He looked at the two hulking men who had dragged Yugi out of his cell. "Put it on him." he ordered curtly, then strode off to stand beside the sarcophagus. The silent one of the pair produced an amulet, formed from two snakes around a red disc, which he slipped over the teenager's head. It hung heavily around his neck; Yugi found his strength sapping away. He didn't have the strength to stand now if he wanted to, and some rather unsavoury thoughts were running through his mind.

:Atem will try to kill you. He hates you now - he will kill you or destroy your mind, leaving you in gibbering insanity for the rest of your miserable existence…:

Yugi shook his head, trying to shake off the foreign voices.

:You should fight him, Yugi. He's the enemy, but you can beat him. You are strong enough, if you have a little help from me…:

"No." With a little moan, he collapsed against the pillar. He had no strength left, the amulet was sucking it all out.

A grinding noise distracted the young man from his inner turmoil. Four men had just lifted the lid off the sarcophagus. Overhead the Millennium Puzzle glowed with reflected moonlight. The robed man began to chant in a language that Yugi didn't recognize, neither Japanese nor English. 

The canopic jars glowed with multi-coloured light - blue, green red and yellow. Beams shot out from each jar, exploding the lids off and converging on the Puzzle. 

***********************************************************************************

As the liquid rose over his head, Atem was engulfed in black despair. He could feel his lungs straining, his mind growing numb. Finally he could stand it no longer - he had to breathe. Icy liquid poured down his throat when he opened his mouth, filling his lungs. The chains on his wrist loosened; he sank further into the blank expanse, too numb to bother saving himself. His awareness flickered like a candle and went out.

…cold…

…empty…

…peaceful…

Suddenly the darkness was rent apart by four beams of light. They attached themselves to his limbs and pulled. With a cry of denial, Atem flew from the dark waters and into the light.

******************************

Yugi watched dumbstruck as the Sennen Eye on the puzzle erupted into life. A multi-coloured beam slammed into the remains of the Pharaoh. The sarcophagus exploded outwards, revealing the shrouded mummy within. The mark of Horus, the Sennen Eye, was glowing like a new sun on the forehead of the mummy. Fire burst from the 3000 year old bandages and vanished. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Atem's naked body emerged from the flames, young and vibrant. He gasped once, like a drowning man who finds air - them his eyes flew open.

Atem gasped and opened his eyes - he was naked on a stone slab covered in bits of debris. He took another, deep breath.

A voice spoke to him, in the dialect of his ancient homeland. 

{Greetings, Mighty Pharaoh, Embodiment of Horus, son of Ra and Osirius. I welcome you to the land of the living.} Atem looked down at the source, one of twenty people wrapped in robes of the old style. A man, he guessed the one closest to his bier.

{What has happened here?} he asked in the same tongue, still a little confused as to where he was. 

{We have performed the Rite of Resurrection on you, Great One.} the man answered. His accent, the Pharaoh noted with a flash of humour, was atrocious. {We rescued you before the false Pharaoh could destroy your mind.}

{False…Pharaoh?} Atem shook his head. His mind was still a little fuzzy. He realized that the man was no longer kneeling - he and his compatriots has risen, holding out various items of clothing; replicas of his regalia. 

{These are your accoutrements, Great One, recovered from your tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The clothing of course is new, and of the finest linen.}

Well, it wasn't silk and leather, but it would do. He slid off the stone bier and took the linen tunic, wrapping it around himself; the rest of the attendants moved forward. Moved my impulse, he closed his eyes, doing something he only remembered from long ago - he held out his arms, fingers spread, and let himself be dressed. 

Only when the heavy weight of the crown had settled on his forehead did he open his eyes again, taking a deep breath. Even more than in the memory world, he *felt* like the Pharaoh again. 

The dressing complete, Atem looked again at the man who had spoken. {You said you brought me back to life. How?}

{An ancient ritual, Great One. Your spirit was still in the world, trapped in the Millennium Puzzle, so it was possible to reunite it with your remains.} The man dropped again to his knees. {It has taken us this long to find the repository of your spirit, Great Pharaoh. I apologize for taking so long to free you.}

Looking around the room, Atem found the Millennium Puzzle still suspended above the bier. He unhooked the chain and pulled it around his neck before a thought hit him. {What of my partner?} he demanded. 

{He is here, Great One. We brought him to witness your rebirth and to receive your judgement.} With that ominous statement, the man gestured to a column on the far side of the room. Two hulking men in acolyte's robes stood guard over a third figure, this one small and kneeling on the stone. He was dressed…

Atem gasped in shock and horror as the vision he'd had came back to him. It was Yugi, dressed in the same clothes, eyes glazed in shock. 

"Aibou…" he whispered. "Aibou, this can't be. What have you done?"

*********************

Yugi marshalled the strength to look up as Atem addressed him, his tone one of pity and horror. He opened his mouth, but what came out was not the plea for help he intended. 

"You managed to escape me, I see." he heard his own voice say, in a cruel tone he would never dream of using, especially not to Atem. "Will you kill me now, Pharaoh, as I killed Anzu? Will you savour my screams as I did to Jounouchi and Honda?"

As his voice continued to taunt Atem, Yugi saw the other teen's expression go from pity and horror to rage and settle at last in a cold, bitter hatred. 

Atem suddenly roared wordlessly, backhanding him. Yugi's head snapped around with the force of the blow; he fell to the floor, only his hands held up by the chains on the pillar. He hung there helplessly, blow dripping from a cut lip. He'd been hit before, by bullies and thugs, but this blow hurt more than any other. Tears welled up in his eyes, but not from physical pain.

"You think your tears will move me, *Motou-san*? Atem snarled. He reached down and pulled Yugi upright in one hand. He was surprisingly strong for such a slender person. "You *dare* to think that after what you did, a few tears will win forgiveness?" 

Motou-san? Yugi bit his bleeding lips, trying to hold back the voice that issued from his mouth unwillingly. He would rather Atem had hit him again rather than refer to him in such a formal, loathing manner. He wanted to protest, but didn't dare lest whatever was twisting his words struck again. 

:Mou hitori no boku?: he tried the mind-link they had shared. Even though they were in different bodies now, perhaps the power of the Millennium Puzzle still connected them somehow.

If anything, the look of hatred on Atem's face deepened, He drew back from Yugi, letting him fall, and absently wiping his hand on his linen shift as though he had touched something unclean. "Do not call me that." the Pharaoh ordered, drawing up to his full height. He gathered his dignity and his power around him like a cloak. The Sennen Eye under his crown began to glow, as did the Millennium Puzzle. 

The robed man who had been talking with Yugi earlier sidled up to Atem now - he addressed the Pharaoh in a language Yugi didn't understand, showing him a bloody dagger entwined with serpents. 

'He will kill you…" Yugi remembered the words of the robed man. He had to stop this madness before Atem killed him, before these evil people corrupted his friend. Beneath the heavy, draining weight of the amulet, Yugi searched for the strength to save both himself and the Pharaoh.

:Wait!: he cried through the link as Atem raised the dagger, murder in his purple-crimson eyes. :Pharaoh Atem, I challenge you! I challenge you to a yami no game!:

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's it for this chapter. I hope to hear from anybody reading this! Good, bad, whatever…Please? *bats big brown cow eyes*

Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter up in the a couple days. Hopefully. 

As a note, in the manga they actually use the loan-word 'game' to refer to the yami-no-game, or Shadow Games.


	4. Yami no game

Here's the next Chapter!

DISCLAIMER: YuGiOh and all associated characters belong to Takahashi-sensei, not to me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4 - Yami no Game 

"You challenge me to a Shadow Game?" Atem asked slowly, knife suspended in midair. The robed man jerked as though he'd been shot, looking worriedly from Atem to Yugi and back again. 

:Yes. I know as much about the yami no game as you do, Atem-kun. I challenge you to one, here and now.:

"Very well." A smirk with no humour touched Atem's mouth. Yugi knew that look. It was the expression his yami gave those he was about to feed to the shadows: a promise of insanity or death. "I will drive you mad before I send you to Yomi. It seems a fitting punishment."

****************

Atem turned away from Yugi, trying to control his raging emotions. The man who had greeted him followed, protesting.

{Holy Son of Osirius, surely you will not allow this creature to live?}

{I did not give you leave to speak.} Atem snapped. {I will do as I please; you acknowledge that I am Pharaoh, do you not?}

{Yes, Great One.} The man looked shocked for a moment, then knelt on the spot and made obeisance. {Forgive me, Blessing of the Sun, Mighty King of Upper and Lower Egypt.}

{Oh get up.} Atem muttered. {You look ridiculous down there. Just unchain him,} he pointed to Yugi {and bring him over here.} Atem walked back to the bier, sitting on the cold stone. Four of his new 'attendants', who evidently spoke neither Japanese nor Egyptian, hurriedly exited to a small antechamber and pulled out a massive wooden throne, elaborately carved and inlaid with ivory and gold. They brought it over to him.

{Mighty Pharaoh} one said in halting and even more badly accented Egyptian. {We bring this to you.}

{My thanks.} he answered politely. The wood was padded with thick cushions and he settled in their softness. The leader of the 'attendants' brought Yugi, still chained hand and foot, to kneel before him. 

{I thought I told you to unchain him.} Looking at the man, Atem thought he flushed. 

{I did not want to expose you to danger, Son of the Morning.}

"I'm not too worried." Atem muttered in Japanese. He gestured and the man bowed, unlocking Yugi's chains. The boy seemed to barely have the strength to stand: Atem checked his impulse to help him. He's a murderer, he thought to himself. He tortured his friends and enjoyed it. What had happened to his gentle aibou? Had Yugi really been deceiving him this whole time?

Perhaps he had. Atem forced himself to harden his heart; to look at the boy - the young man - as a stranger. But it was hard, seeing those tear-filled violet eyes that glinted with an odd mix of anguish and determination.

"Well, Motou-san?" Atem asked, watching those bright eyes flash with hurt at the formal address. "You have challenged me - it is your right to set the rules of the game."

*****************************

Yugi rubbed his sore wrists and tried to control himself. Atem glared at him, seated on a throne like the Pharaoh he had been. Yugi knew he had to win this - more importantly, he had to prove that he was innocent. If he failed, he would die, drowned in darkness and madness, while Atem spread that dark taint over the whole world. 

The amulet around his neck still weighed a ton, seeming to drag at him as he took a single step closer to his yami. The Sennen Eye on the puzzle glinted, giving Yugi the germ of an idea. 

"I set the rules, ne?" At least he seemed to have regained some control over his voice. The words still came out ruder than he intended, but at least he'd meant to say them.

"Hai." 

"Take us to the Shadow Realm." If they could just get away from the robed man…

"Very well." Atem gestured again, and darkness swirled around them, isolating them from everyone else. 

The amulet around Yugi's neck flared with an ugly green light and he screamed in pain. He could feel it trying to take over his body, perhaps invigorated by the dark magic all around. Atem blinked and surprise ran across his feature before he schooled them to impassiveness. He watched unmoving as Yugi struggled to remove the chain. Finally he rose and strode over to the smaller teen, grabbing the links himself and pulling of off. Yugi collapsed, gasping for breath. Atem studied the necklace.

"Is this what made you do it?" he asked finally. "Is this what made you kill Anzu and the others?"

"Kill…Anzu?" Yugi choked out. "I never…" 

"No?" Atem grabbed Yugi's chin in his free hand. "Then see what I saw, Motou-san. See and feel what I did, and tell me still if you are innocent. If you can then I will free you. If not…I will see the lie in your words, and I will destroy you. Will that do for a game?"

"If I lose…" Yugi murmured. He reached out and pulled a knife from the sheath at his yami's waist. "Here is the game, mou hitori no boku." He pointed the blade at his own stomach. "Look into my mind, Pharaoh. If you find me guilty, then leave me here to die."

Stunned, the Pharaoh jumped back. Was it a trick, a trap? No, the pain in Yugi's eyes was too real. 

"I trust you, Atem-kun. You never p…punish the innocent. I would rather commit seppuku than have you hate me. I love you, mou hitori no boku." He closed his eyes and bowed from his knees, traditional Japanese style, still holding the knife at his stomach. Waiting. That finally released Atem's stunned shock. Grasping the puzzle in one hand, he reached out and touched Yugi's head with his other hand. The Puzzle flared, and Atem looked… 

He saw everything Yugi had. The capture, the words of the robed man, everything. And thanks to the magic of the Millennium Puzzle, he knew it for truth. 

Gently he took the knife from Yugi's grasp. He felt tears of his own forming, and his hatred, so strong towards Yugi, turned inward. How could he have doubted? He knew, yet had been deceived. 

Placing the sharp weapon back in it's sheath, he raised Yugi to his feet, then removed the Puzzle from around his neck and placed it around his aibou's. 

Kneeling, the former Pharaoh of all Egypt bowed, forehead to floor before his partner in utmost humility. "I beg your forgiveness, Yugi-sama. I am so sorry."

"It's okay." Yugi blushed and hugged Atem. "It's all okay. When you touched my mind, I saw what illusions they showed you. It's okay, really. Get up, please. It's not your fault."

Yugi and Atem knelt there for a long time, it seemed, both crying. Finally Yugi grinned and flicked a tear from Atem's cheek. "Now what would your courtiers have said if they had seen you crying like a little baby, mou hitori no boku?"

"I don't know, aibou, and I don't care." Wiping his face with the corner of his cloak, Atem looked up a Yugi. "I'll take us back to the real world, so I can do to that man what I had planned to do to you." 

"Sounds good." 

Surprised, Atem raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "I didn't expect that, aibou."

"He nearly got you to kill me and tried to use you." Yugi grinned, a little shamefaced. "I think that he deserves a taste of your magic. Pharaoh." 

Laughing, Atem gestured and they both appeared in the real world.

The laughter cut off as Atem fell forward with a choked cry into Yugi's arms. A knife, silver with snakes around the hilt, emerged from the small of the Pharaoh's back. 


	5. Light and Dark, Hikari and Yami

Last chapter, people. The exciting conclusion. If there is anyone out there and I'm not just talking to myself.

…Cricket, cricket… 

Disclaimer - I don't own Yugioh - if I did, I'd fire the scriptwriters for the dub and change all their names back to the Japanese. 

These wonderful characters are based on the work of Takahashi-sensei.

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Chapter 5 - Light and Dark, Hikari and Yami

"You'll both die for this." the robed man growled, pulling another knife from his robes. Hands grabbed Yugi's arms, holding him still. He struggled as Atem collapsed, blood staining his blue cloak purple. The robed man leaned forward and stabbed Atem again, in the lung, then turned to Yugi. 

"Die." he hissed, drawing back the knife. 

"Mind crush!" Atem's voice rang through the hall as he unleashed his power. The robed man screamed as it slammed into him; he dropped the blade and clutched his head, falling to his knees. Kneeling propped on one hand, blood dripping from his mouth, the Pharaoh glared at the people holding Yugi's arms. The Sennen eye blazed under his crown and his purple-crimson eyes promised his judgement on any who touched Yugi.

The people holding the smaller teen ran screaming as Atem's shadow powers consumed the soul of their leader, leaving only an empty corpse.

Yugi ignored them, running up to Atem as the Pharaoh's eyes rolled back and he collapsed again. Holding the bleeding body in his arms, Yugi wept helpless tears. 

"Aibou…" Atem whispered, barely loud enough to hear. "I love you too…" He coughed, a wet, ugly sound, and shuddered. His eyes went wide and blank as a bubble of blood ran down his chin.

"NO!" Yugi screamed, and something deep within snapped. 

Pain and glory beyond words washed through him. His blood burned with power. Yugi screamed, a sound like a hawk's cry, as the fire of the Sun blazed through him; the world held nothing but light and brilliance and the dying shadows on the floor beside him. His yami, his darkness… 

Atem heard the Yugi scream but had no strength left, no power, nothing. Suddenly lashes of heat entered his body and he gasped - they burned like fire. He opened his eyes and saw the Sennen Eye blazing on Yugi's forehead, his eyes bright as amethysts but unseeing. He held his arms wide, hands open, producing bolts of light that dove into Atem's body, granting him strength. The knife in his back landed on the floor with a clang - the pain vanished abruptly. So did the light around Yugi.

Seeing his yami awake, Yugi gave him a watery smile before he passed out. Atem checked, but the young teen was only unconscious. He smiled a little himself. Yugi would be fine. How could he not, with the very radiance of Ra at his command?

Lifting him in strong arms, the Pharaoh carried his light outside into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They weren't that far from Domino and the Kame Game shop; it was nearly false dawn when Atem, staggering with fatigue and the weight of his still unconscious aibou, knocked on the back door. Grandpa answered; from his expression he was plainly astonished to see the Pharaho, regalia and all, carrying his grandson.

"What happened?" the older man asked. "I was worried about you!. How can you be solid now?"

"I'll explain later, jiisan." Atem said, exhaustion in his tone. "It's a long story, but Yugi-chan and I had a difficult evening."

"Hai, I can see that." The old man was wise enough to let them alone, and simply followed the Pharaoh up the stairs to Yugi's attic bedroom.

Although he was tired enough to fall asleep right there on the carpet after he tucked his aibou in bed, Atem turned to face Grandpa. "Is it alright if I take the spare room, jiisan?" he asked, bowing slightly in Japanese style. A wry grin appeared on his tired features. "It's either that or I sleep right here."

"Of course you can use the spare." Yugi's grandfather nodded. "But I have a better idea…" he turned and walked back down the hall. Atem was too tired to follow, so instead he sat down on the edge of the bed, gently brushing Yugi's hair out of his eyes. The young teenager smiled gently as though in a wonderful dream.

"Here." Grandpa pulled in a futon and a pile of blankets, along with a pillow. He arranged these on the floor and gestured for Atem to settled there, which the Pharaoh did gratefully. He was so tired that all he did was slip off his crown before his newly-forged body collapsed in slumber. 

Grandpa looked on as Atem crashed. This looked as though it had a very interesting story behind it. Gently he tucked the Pharaoh under the sheets. 

Atem was smiling in his sleep.

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Like? Don't like? Think I should commit seppuku? Let me know! Please!

Okay. Now here's my options - I could write a rousing, action - packed sequel, or I could write a lovely interlude with Yaoi and lemons. Please let me know which you would like to see!

…cricket…cricket…

Or I could just flip a coin…sigh

R&R please


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